Chikamagalur: In a shocking incident a private school bus carrying students and teachers to the school caught fire in Muddinakoppa village of Mudigere Taluk here.

The incident took place when the school bus belonging to Sadguru Vidya Samithi School of Basarikatte village near Kalasa, plying students and teachers caught fire due to a technical snub. The school had sent the bus to pick the students and teachers of the school from Haluwalli, Thalagodu, Baalehole, Thotadhoor and other villages as the private bus was not accessible on Monday.

The fire initially broke out near the driver seat after which the driver jumped down the bus. The fire then moved towards the children and teachers seated on the bus, but the teachers managed to get the students and themselves out of the bus on right time and averted a major tragedy.

Books and school bags of the students were charred down in the fire. The locals added that a few students and teachers sustained minor injuries but no serious injuries or casualties were reported. They also added that the students were disturbed and shocked after the incident.

Soon after the incident was reported, police rushed to the spot. The driver escaped the scene after the incident.

 

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Bengaluru (PTI): The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday raided premises linked to Karnataka Congress MLA Satish Krishna Sail and some others as part of a money laundering investigation against the legislator in a case related to alleged illegal export of iron ore, official sources said.

At least 15 premises in Karnataka, Goa and Mumbai are being searched under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the sources said.

Sail is a Congress MLA representing the Karwar assembly constituency in Uttara Kannada district.

Sail, according to the sources, has been accused of exporting illegally mined iron ore which was seized by forest officials at Belekeri port in Karwar, Karnataka.

This caused "loss" to government exchequer for an amount of about Rs 38 crore but the actual value of illegally exported ore is worth hundreds of crores of rupees, the sources said.

The case originated from a 2010 probe by the Karnataka Lokayukta, which discovered about eight lakh tons of illegally transported iron ore from Bellary to Belekeri port.

The Karnataka High Court last year had ordered the suspension of the seven-year prison sentence of the MLA in this case.

A special court had previously found Sail and others guilty in multiple cases related to the illegal export of iron ore from the Belekeri port.